1985 Chevrolet Camaro Reviews, Pricing & Specs
Overview
1985 is best known by Camaro aficionados as the year the IROC first made its appearance. Named after the International Race of Champions,...
1985 is best known by Camaro aficionados as the year the IROC first made its appearance. Named after the International Race of Champions, it certainly lived up to its moniker. Both the Z28 and the IROC had a Tuned Port Injection (TPI) version of the engine that was rated at 215 horsepower. The 5.0 HO engine also had a hotter camshaft and a larger exhaust system. Ironically, this engine was available only on the automatic. However, you could opt for the L69 H.O. engine, which only came with the 5-speed manual tranny and produced 190 hp at 4,800 rpm and 240 lb-ft of torque at 3,200 rpm.Production of this engine was restricted about halfway through the year. Although you did lose a very small amount of horsepower and torque with the H.O., it was well worth it to get the 5-speed. Besides, the horsepower could be overcome with ease by adding headers and a good exahust. The L69 in 1985 was available only in the IROC. New 16-by-8-inch all-aluminum wheels sporting 245/50VR16 Goodyear Gatorback tires, the ride was lowered by a half-inch, and the addition of the foglamps made sure that if you saw the IROC from the front, you new at that moment that you were seeing an IROC.
Chevrolet also changed ten of the twelve exterior colors from 1984. Other external changes included new front fascias, taillamps, air dams, grilles, and parking lamps, although these changes were very minor and mostly not noticeable to the untrained eye. The IROC was honored as one of Car and Driver's Ten Best for 1985.
What owners say
"Overall, Camaro owners seem to love the power, performance, and styling of their 1985 models, describing them as fast and fun to drive. Many appreciate the reliability and classic muscle car appeal, but some noted concerns about gas mileage and the need for maintenance due to age. While most reviews are positive, a few mentioned issues like rust, repairs needed, and performance drawbacks in certain situations."
350 ci motor, built by some friends and myself from interior to motor to paint. It was smog legal, pushed about maybe 380hp + in 90 degree weather to the wheels. funnest car i ever had. it got probably 6 miles to the gallon with a 4spd auto (700r4 trans). could not drive it in the rain what so ever. tires would break loose at 60 on free way if i accelerated just a bit... lot of good memories in this car.
March 6, 2009fun to drive and handles great. Also has a very nice paint job. I love the manual transmission that i put in the car myself which makes it a lot more fun to drive and the V8 makes the car get up and go a lot faster than most cars on the market now.
August 7, 2008This is the best car to own ever. The 305 has plenty of power to blow away your ricer honda's with their fancy stickers and spoilers. Ive owned it for a year, put 20,000km on it. Has not needed a single repair. Its now at 221,000km. VERY reliable car. The interior is simple, i like it, i find it comfortable and pretty roomy,the exterior styling is just killer. I love driving by big windows just to see how cool i look drivin it. Gas mileage isnt the greatest ~20mpg city, ~30mpg highway with the 305 V8. bought it for $1500. wouldnt trade it for anything in the world.
September 4, 2008What owners say
350 ci motor, built by some friends and myself from interior to motor to paint. It was smog legal, pushed about maybe 380hp + in 90 degree weather to the wheels. funnest car i ever had. it got probably 6 miles to the gallon with a 4spd auto (700r4 trans). could not drive it in the rain what so ever. tires would break loose at 60 on free way if i accelerated just a bit... lot of good memories in this car.
March 6, 2009fun to drive and handles great. Also has a very nice paint job. I love the manual transmission that i put in the car myself which makes it a lot more fun to drive and the V8 makes the car get up and go a lot faster than most cars on the market now.
August 7, 2008This is the best car to own ever. The 305 has plenty of power to blow away your ricer honda's with their fancy stickers and spoilers. Ive owned it for a year, put 20,000km on it. Has not needed a single repair. Its now at 221,000km. VERY reliable car. The interior is simple, i like it, i find it comfortable and pretty roomy,the exterior styling is just killer. I love driving by big windows just to see how cool i look drivin it. Gas mileage isnt the greatest ~20mpg city, ~30mpg highway with the 305 V8. bought it for $1500. wouldnt trade it for anything in the world.
September 4, 2008Performance - accellerates pretty good, brakes extremely well and handles well even on curvy mountain roads. Build Qualiy - definitely needs a few tweaks here and there, but overall it is a good car that has a few imperfections that need to be addressed. Appearance - Outside looks pretty good for a 24 year old car. The paint definitely needs a touch up and there are a few dents, but it happens :/ Cost - A lot... Gas mileage isn't fantastic, but it doesn't need much maintainence and I don't mind the cost of it. Overall this thing is super fun to own and drive and I look forward to being able to restore it some day
September 25, 2009Acceleration is great it has a lot of torque, but the HP is low due to it coming with T-Tops. Very strong build, I have gotten about 5 foot of air at 65 mph. Although it sounded good at the time, I regret it now and hope nothing was damaged. Amazing looks Interior is just as great. Gas is hard on me, but if you have a job at all this wouldn't be a problem. I'd say pretty high maintnence because of the age, but mine hasnt needed much besides oil changes. =) Amazingly fun car to drive!
September 16, 2009Impressive reliability...had it for over 200k miles.
April 10, 2008Performance is great. i bought the car about 3 years ago. its still fast as hell. i put a larger camshaft, intake manifold and carburetor on the top of the engine. the repairs that it has needed since i purchased it were mostly routine or induced by me. terrible on gas. terrible. the paint job isnt all that wonderful. two different colors of blue and a rusted fender. very very fun car to drive.
August 28, 2009i love the attention it brings with its rough idle,mean looks ,it causes a stir whenever i go anywhere,what i hate is that i can get better performance with decent fuel economy from a c6 z06 vette and thats why i am selling this car.who will be the lucky one.
September 27, 2008Got the car as a project for $2000 and only 83000 miles. Since then I've put a couple thousand into it and its a great sounding, fast, attention getting car. Has about a 4.5sec 0-60
February 15, 2008For an 1985, it is in perfect condition. Great acceleration. Only second owner. Very clean. No rust or chips on the paint. Custom exhaust and sound system. Hoping to swap to a 350 or higher. The best car I have ever owned.
June 14, 2010Trims & specs
Base MSRP $8,511 | Seating 4 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $8,511 | Seating 4 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $11,134 | Seating 4 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP N/A | Seating N/A |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
